Toggle type holding device



July 22, 1958 E. BRANDES TOGGLE TYPE HOLDING DEVICE Filed June 12, 1956INVENTOR. frmzsf 5. 5221174 65 United States Patent TOGGLE TYPE HOLDINGDEVICE- Ernest E..Brandes, Madison, Wis.

Application June 12, 1956; Serial No. 590,956

12 Claims. (Cl. 18936):

This. invention relates. to toggle; type holding'devices, and moreparticularly such deviceswhich arerreadily and quickly applied toadjacent parts for'holding them in assembled relationship to oneanother.

One of the objects of my. invention is. to provide a toggle type holdingdevice. which. can. be quickly and easily snapped into place relativetometal parts of-nonlinear sectionfor holding such' parts in: abuttingrelationship. relative to one another.

As another object, my invention .has withinits-purview thezprovision ofa holdingzdevice. having two: parts.hinged-. ly-engaged with one anotherand'lshapedatoprovide end portions adapted to fit within. and: havestable;.resiliently. held engagementwith .portionssofpredeterminedsectional contour; and whereinthe said two partszpass througha positionaffording a maximum: distance; between opposite. ends of the two partswhile:beingmovedrelativer toione. another for reaching the positionofzstable; resilientlyheld engagement with the members;

My invention has for another object the provision.- of.

a. holding, device incorporating.- two. hingedly connected parts, oneofwhich parts is bowedto -afiord.resilient-flexibility thereof in adirection longitudinal to the other, and saidparts-together being. of asize1and.shape-to. hat/ea position'of stable engagement withseparatedportions of. the :interior of amember: havinggaz sectionalicontour suchthat portions are. in. different planes-,jn. which; position said bowedpart iscompressed and resiliently; holds-both; parts in firm contactwith said-.member.

ItalS another object of. this invention-to, provide ahold-.

ing;-device for securing internally, concave sheetmetal sections oflike. shape in abutting; end-to-eudj.relationship;

device to abuttedends of sections of" the type. illustrated.

in-Fig.- 1; I

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevational'view'of the structure shown inFig. 2; and

Figs. 4 and S-are respectively end sectional views taken' substantiallyas indicated'by'a line 44 and accompany ingiarrows in Fig. .3,andwhereinFig. 4 depicts the posi:

tion.ofparts of the. holdingdeviceduring the applicationvtl-lereoftotheabutting. metal sections, while Fig. 5* illustrates: theholding; device in; its installed; position;

Although not limited thereto, the; holding-device dis? closed herein iswell adapted to; useain, securing together 2: parts of heat dispersingapparatus of the-type shown and described in my United States Letterspatent No. 2,627,800; issued February 10, 1953, and entitled HeatDispersing Apparatus, and'is illustrated in such an adaptation in thisapplication.

Having reference to the accompanying drawings, the" exemplary embodimentof my toggle type. holding device which is shown herein for illustrativepurposes isshown' in an adaptation to the securement of front panelportions- 12 of heat dispersing apparatus 13 in abutted relationship. Toprovide a general'understanding of thelstructureillustrated, the heatdispersing apparatus 13 includes a back channel portion 14 having aback-'wall15, a base portion 16, a top flange portion l7andabottom'flange 18,- all-'of which are integrally formed from a stripof sheet metal and which, in use, issecured to the wall portion of'abuilding adjacent the floor in the place of a baseboardi' The panelportion 12 has a relatively fiat front surface portion 19 and angularlydisposed top'portion 20 and a flange 22 which is disposed in angularrelationship tothe top portion 20, said flat'front portion 19, the topportion 20 and the flange 22 being integrally formed from a strip ofsheet metal, andthe angles between the'portions. being such that theinner sectional shape is generally concave. Alongthe bottom of the frontpanel portion 12, a marginal portion-of the metal is folded" or anadditional strip is secured totheinternal surface to provide an innermarginal strip 23' extending. upwardly on the interior of" the frontpanel portion and a flange 24-extending downwardly and inwardly in acuteangular relationship to the strip 23. In the assembly of'the frontpanelportion withthe back channelportionl4i the bottom flange 18 on the backchannelportiom extends upwardly and into the angle=between the strip 23and the flange 214 to provideta hinge connection between thetfrontpanel. portion: and the: back channel portion of. the lieat dispersingapparatus.

The assembly of the back channel portion and the front panel portion-oftheheat dispersing apparatus; as herein disclosed, forms a conduit forthe dispersal of warmsair. through a slot type opening25 between the topflange portion 17 of theback channel portion and the flange. 22: of thefront panel: portion. For: holding the front panel portion inplacerelative to the rear-'channel'i portion and for. adjusting theopening-of theheat-dispersing slot 25 along a lengthof theheat'dispersingapparatus; brackets such as 26' are secureditotheinnersurface of the back wa11'15 at positions above the. base portion 16 andscrews 27 extend:through openings 28"in the'frontpanelportion andarethreaded'into thebra'ckets 26;. As herein: disclosed, coiltype-compression springs 29 are: mounted on: the bracketslld and extendtherefrom. into contact with the. interior of: the: front: panelportion, normally to urgethe front panellp'ortionaway from the back'wall of the back. channel portion, whereupon adjust.-

ment of theiscrews 27-moves the:frontpanelportion.rela

tive to the. rear channehportion; to determinethe width of-the.=slots25..

In the. manufacture1ofheatrdispersing apparatus of the; type}herein.disclosed, as well? as other: types of sheetmetal parts, certainstandard: lengths of' the parts arei made, which lengths are combined.and assembledat. the:

3 desirably be neat and inconspicuous, as well as being firm and tight.Furthermore, the cost of labor of the class utilized for installingapparatus such as that herein illustrated promotes the desirability ofproviding fastening or holding devices which are readily and quicklyinstalled without the necessity of fitting operations or tools.

The disclosed toggle type holding device is adapted to ready and quickinstallation and mounts internally of the parts which are securedtogether, While those parts are in closely abutted relationship, so thata very inconspicuous joint is provided between the exposed surfaces ofthe parts.

As herein disclosed, my toggle type holding device 10 embodies two parts30 and 32, both of which are fabricated from strips of sheet metal andhingedly connected together at adjacent ends by suitable means which, inthe present instance, comprises a tongue 33 projecting from themid-portion of one end of the part 30 and narrower than the part 30,which tongue extends loosely through a slot 34 at one end of the part32. With this structure and relationship of parts, side portions 35 and36 of the part 32 on opposite sides of the slot 34 rest against sideedges 37 and 38 of the part 30 on opposite sides of the tongue 33. Asdepicted in Fig. 4, bends 39 and 40 in the part 32 at opposite ends ofthe slot 34, as well as the looseness of the fit of the tongue 33 in theslot 34 predetermined the range of relative movement which can beattained between the parts 30 and 32.

The part 30, in the disclosed holding device, is longitudinally straightand has substantial longitudinal rigidity. Also, this part 30 has an endedge 42 at the end opposite the hinge connection between the parts,which edge is substantially parallel to the axis of the hingeconnection. Also, as shown herein, the end marginal portion 43 of thepart 30 adjacent and extending along the edge 42 is curved to fit into agroove 44 between the front surface portion 19 of the front panelportion 12 and the top bent portion of the strip 23, which grooveprovides one of two opposed surfaces in spaced relationship laterally ofthe generally concave interior of the front panel portion 12; the otherof the spaced opposed surfaces 45 being provided at the juncture of theflange 22 with the top portion 20.

The part 32 has an end edge 46 opposite and parallel to the axis of thehinge connection between the parts and, in order to provide flexibilityand resilience of the part in a direction longitudinal thereof andnormal to the hinge axis and edge 46, the part is bowed by a bend 47 atthe longitudinal mid-portion of the part.

In the disclosed adaptation, the parts 30 and 32 have a maximum combinedlength when the end edges 42 and 46 are aligned with the axis of thehinge connection between the parts or when those end edges and the hingeaxis are disposed in a common plane. For the illustrated purpose, themaximum combined length of the parts 30 and 32 is normally greater thanthe distance between the opposed and spaced surfaces 44 and 45 withwhich the end edges 42 and 46 of the parts are engaged in use. Thus,angular disposition of the parts, as shown in Fig. 4, is required foreffecting installation of the parts of the holding device between theopposed surfaces, and fiexure of the part 32 is required for movement ofthe parts through their position of maximum combined length to theposition depicted in Fig. 5, in which latter position the part 32remains flexed sufliciently to afiord a gripping and holding actionagainst the engaged abutted ends of sections which are held thereby.

It may be observed by reference to Figs. 4 and 5 that the bowed part 32of the holding device has an angle of curvature between its longitudinalend edges which is substantially equal to or somewhat smaller than theangle of curvature which exists between the front panel portion 12 andthe top portion of the structure secured thereby. Thus, after passingthrough the position of maximum combined length of the holding device 4parts 30 and 32, at which the hinge axis is aligned with the oppositeend edges, during the installation of the holding device, that devicereaches a stable position of test within the parts being held therebyand in which one portion of the part 32 engages the angularly disposedportion 20 and the other portion may engage the front panel portion 12.In this stable and installed position, a component of the biasing forceof the flexed resilient part 32 urges the upper portion of that partinto contact with the angularly disposed portion 20 and other componentsof that biasing force are exerted toward the opposed end edges of theparts. In the disclosed structure, the lower end portion of the part 32,adjacent the hinge axis, normally rests against or in closely spacedrelationship to the panel portion 12 which is being held thereby, andthe part 36 extends along and in contact with the inner surface of thefront panel portion of the structure being held by the holding device.

From the foregoing description and by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, it may be readily understood that I have provided a holdingdevice adapted to use for holding together like metal sections ofpredetermined or generally concave contour in abutted relationship,which device may be readily, quickly and easily installed, and whichdevice fits internally of. the parts held thereby and thus effects itsholding connection without detriment to the appearance of the smoothexterior surfaces of the structures which it holds together.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, manymodifications may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details ofconstruction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes withinthe scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A holding device for securing together in abutting relationship theends of like sheet metal sections having predetermined interior contoursproviding opposed surfaces spaced a predetermined distance apartlaterally of the sections and comprising, in combination, a relativelystraight part having substantial longitudinal rigidity, and a part bowedlongitudinally and having resilient flexibility between its longitudinalends, means for providing a hinge connection between adjacentlongitudinal ends of the parts and having a hinge axis extendinglaterally of the parts, and said parts also having opposite end edgessubstantially parallel to the hinge axis and engageable with saidopposed surfaces of the metal sections.

2. A holding device as defined in claim 1, and wherein said meanscomprises a tongue extending longitudinally from one of said adjacentlongitudinal ends of one of said parts in a plane offset from said oneof the adjacent longitudinal ends and loosely engaged in a slot at theadjacent end of the other of said parts.

3. A holding device as defined in claim 1, and wherein the curvature ofsaid bowed part normally conforms approximately to the predeterminedinterior contours of the sheet metal sections.

4. A holding device as defined in claim 1, and wherein the normaldistance between said opposite end edges when the hinge axis is alignedwith the opposite end edges is greater than said predetermined distancebetween said opposed surfaces.

5. A holding device for securing together in abutting relationship theends of like sheet metal sections having generally concave interiorcontours and provided with opposed surfaces spaced apart laterally ofthe concave interiors of the sections and comprising, in combination, arelatively straight part having substantial longitudinal rigidity andhaving an edge at one end for engagement with one of said opposedsurfaces, a second part longitudinally bowed to provide longitudinalresilience, and

means providing a hinge connection for movably holding the parts inend-to-end relationship to one another.

6. A holding device for use with metal parts of generally concaveinterior section and having retaining surfaces in opposed andpredetermined spaced relationship across the concave interior from oneanother, said holding device comprising two hingedly connected partshaving end edges substantially parallel to the axis of the hingeconnection between the parts and engageable with said retainingsurfaces, said partshaving a maximum combined length greater than thepredetermined spacing of said retaining surfaces when the axis of thehinge connection and said end edges are disposed, in a common plane, andone of said parts being bowed intermediate the end edge thereof and theaxis of the hinge connection to provide resilient flexibility therein ina direction longi tudinal thereof.

7. A holding device as defined in claim 6 and wherein the other of saidparts has a curved marginal portion extending along and adjacent to theend edge thereof.

8. A holding device as defined in claim 6 and wherein the hingeconnection between the parts is separable and provided by a tongue onone of the parts which extends longitudinally of the parts through aslot in the other of the parts.

9. In combination with abutting sheet metal sections of like size andshape and having generally concave interior contours provided byangularly disposed portions and having opposed surfaces spacedapartlaterally of the concave interiors of the sections, a holding devicecomprising two parts having adjacent end portions hingedly connectedtogether for relative angular movements through a position of maximumcombined length in which opposite ends of the parts are aligned with theaxis ofthe hinge connection between the parts, said parts normallyhaving a maximum combined length greater than the distance between saidopposed surfaces, one of said parts having resilience and flexibility ina longitudinal direction normal to the axis of the hinge connection andthe other of said parts being relatively rigid in a longitudinaldirection, and one of said parts having a surface thereon for engagementwith one of said angularly disposed portions of the sheet metal sectionsWhile said opposite ends of the hingedly connected parts are engagedwith said opposed surfaces and after the parts have passed through theirrelative positions affording maximum combined length and also while saidone of the parts is flexed.

10. In a combination as defined in claim 9, said parts being fabricatedfrom sheet metal and having the axis of the hinge connection of theparts substantially coincident with the planes of the sheet metal parts.

11. In a combination as defined in claim 9, said one of the parts beingbowed to afiord resilience and flexibility and the other of the partsbeing generally flat and straight with a curved marginal portionadjacent the end opposite the axis of the hinge connection between theparts.

12. In a combination as defined in claim 9, the hinge connection of theparts being separable and provided by a tongue on one of the partsextending through a slot in the other of the parts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,041,062 Funk Oct. 15, 1912 1,488,090 Buhr Mar. 25, 1924 2,538,409Binkley Ian. 16, 1951

